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Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 38, 27 July 1872, Page 2

[translation.] , Waikato, July 17th 1872. To Tb Huia— Friend, greeting. It is now. a long time since we wrote to one another. ISot hearing from you for a long while, I thought you had left New Zealand, but [ was very glad to learn the other day that you were still in the land of our forefathers, X trust we will not be so indolent in future in corresponding with each other. Now. that the crisis- has arrived,, when the good or bad intentions of our friends the Hauhaus will be known, I would like you to kindly inform me occasionally how matters-are progressing up your way. I hope they now see their erring.waya, and follow our example.in.living harmoniously with our Pakeha neighbours, and change the gun and tomahawk for the spade and plough, and follow the works of peace v which was our occupation before the memorable 18&3. Tamiliana's adage of the old man and his live sons, with the bundle of sticks, proved of no avail with regard'to Waikato ; consequently it paid for the experiment, and now Tawhiao and his followers are living in the mountain ranges of Mokau like a lot of gipsies,, isolated from their dearest friends. I suppose you don't know what these gipsies are ?. Well, I'll tell you; They are a wandering class of people in England—sort of outcasts, subsisting generally by, fortune-telling and selling baskets and other commodities. But 1 hope Tawhiao and his men will not be reduced to that mode of living, although he is at present without an inch of land tlir.t lie can call his own, as the country he now occupies belongs to Ngatimaniapoto, as you are aware. Yet if he would only renounce that empty title of his and assume the dignity of his ancestors, I believe the Government would be liberal with him. However, I anticipate to hear from you that a change has taken place amongst them for the better, and l trust the day is not far distant when Tawhiao will take his place amongst the rawjnt'iraa of the great Eunanga of New Zealand, to discuss matters tor the welfare of his- fellow-countrymen. The JLVcehas are in trouble because of the smallpox, known- by us as koroputupiitu, which has at last reached our virgin land, wafted here by those large cVmerican mail steamers.. There is a great deal of. talk in the Auckland papers about it. People, old and young,..are daily flocking to the doctors to be vaccinated. Now. as this malignant disease has reached Auckland it is-time for us-to look out, for if it once gets amongst the Maoris it will play " Old Harry" with them, especially the Hauhaus. It will be worse than all the fighting that has taken place in New Zealand. Xou know how the Hauhaus live up there at Tokongamutu— simply the quick and dead hustled! together, each family burying their dead at the end of their ivhares. Even the remains ofTawhiao's daughter is buried at the endof his wharc,. The Pakeha says this is not right; it is not conducive to the health- of the people to have the dead buried near-dwellings, and I concur with them. I pity the Hauhaus if the small-pox. reaches them. We ought to petition the Government to send a doctor expressly to vaccinate (pokapoka) the natives in the Waikato, and you ought to advise all the Hauhaus to accede to this simple preventive. It is very remarkable, O friend, how that the Americans were the means of introducing two obnoxious/evils into this island, viz., the dockseed and small-pox. I remember my old grandfather Tarahawaiki relating how he was duped by Yankee whalers at the Bay of Islands some years ago. Old Hawaiki gave them pigs and potatoes in return for tovorl -seed (tobacco). They gave him dock seed instead ; but the old man knew no better. He sowed the tobacco-seed as he thought, and the result is this cursed seed which has now spread over the whole island, and f daresay that if the small-pox is not arrested in-time, it will become as its predecessor— a curse to the country —only there is this difference, instead of being an evil to the soil, it will be a plague both to Pakeha and Maori, so " kia tupato." [ was glad to see a letter in the Waikato Ttmes the other day, byTe- Huaki referring to Maories working on Sundays. I have no doubt his intentions are honorable. We all know that working on Sundays is contrary to the laws of the Bible and Christianity, so the Missionaries taught us, but the shepherds have deserted their flocks, and what is the result? Why, a new religion was introduced amongst us by a maniac, and we Maoris, foolish-like-flocked to this new Karakia, which discarded Sundays, consequently this ; 'mahi ratapn." Now a voice, through the Times, points out this wrong, let us, Kupapas at least, take this advice. Of course, 1 don't think the Hauhaus will take notice of it as yet, nevertheless let us show them a good example, also show our Pakeha neighbours although deserted by the shepherds, there is still a spark, of the religion of the Bible within us. I have a good deal; more to-write to you but I: will defer it till my next as this letter is long enough for the present. Ended from your loving friend, Hori WSKA.